Don't You Remember?
by Readywolf02
Summary: Being thought to be mentally ill and antisocial by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you really talk to isn't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?
1. Chapter 1

**Being thought to be mentally ill and antisocial by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you really talk to isn't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?**

**Okay, I'm not giving up on Compliments. I'm still working on it. This idea just popped up so I _had _to do it. And, sorry for OOC Natsu but his personality this way just fits the story line**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima. Got it?**

* * *

><p>Don't You Remember?<p>

Chapter 1

"Alright, we're done with classes, go play," Mom said to me, eyeing the doodles on my sheet of homework. Even though all work was homework, Mom still called it "schoolwork." I snatched my materials from the kitchen table and scurried to my room to drop them off. As I threw the supplies onto my small desk I glanced at the digital clock sitting atop my wooden side table. Red lines formed the shapes of numbers on the clock, four minutes before 2:30. I rushed to the kitchen, grabbing the brownie from my mother's waiting hands without a word, and hurried outside.

I plopped onto the grass, the small blades flattening under my weight. I waited there for her, taking small bites of half of the chocolate dessert. After around five minutes, I watched impatiently as the golden crown of hair made its way up the hill. I grasped a post of my fence with one hand, the other holding the other half of the brownie. She stopped walking as she came upon the barrier separating us. Her smiling face peeked between the thin poles, and she thrust her expecting hand through the fence. I smiled and placed the dessert into her small hand. "Thank you!" she chirped before taking a bite from the sugary delicacy. I laughed as I wiped a crumb from her cheek and she blushed at the small gesture.

"So how was school?" She inquired and I scowled at the wretched words. "Boring. As usual," I replied and a harmonious laugh rolled from her lips. "Mom thinks I can't spell or anything, even though I always get good grades on my tests! I probably have a better vocabulary than her!" I boasted. Lucy rolled her eyes and took the last bite from the brownie. "How was your school day, Lucy?" I noticed she was hesitant about answering before she gingerly lifted a hand to trace a growing bruise on her left cheek. I flinched at the sight. How had I not noticed that before? "Wait here," I rushed out before running inside my one-story house. My sneakers skidded against the tile as I sprinted into the kitchen, Mom standing at the sink, eyeing my questionably. "Everything okay, Natsu?" she asked, concern laced through her words. I whipped my head her way for a split second, then rushed to the drawer that held the small Ziploc bags. Not bothering to notice my hands were stinging from the cold ice cubes, I dropped the solid water into its plastic prison.

I sprinted back outside as if my life depended on it. Lucy was waiting there, picking a few tulips that had strayed from my mother's garden. I handed her the bag of ice, and she took it with a grateful smile. That golden smile that meant everything to me. Yet for her, it was merely a jerk of her lips. "Thank you, Natsu. I'd better be getting back though, Mother is probably worrying about me," she said in her sweet voice, and I nodded in acknowledgement. "Bye, Luce. Have a good day tomorrow. And don't let any jerks punch you either, 'kay?" I growled the last part, but she just laughed and started walking away, clutching her flowers in one hand, and used her other hand to hold the bag of ice against her swollen cheek. What was she beat up for this time?

I prodded at the menacing green trees on my plate, a bored expression written across my face. "So how was your day, bud?" Dad asked, taking a gulp from his glass. "Fine," I replied, and continued to play with the vegetables lying helplessly on my porcelain plate. "Natsu, stop playing with your food, if you don't want them then put them with the leftovers," Mom scolded, jabbing her thumb to the direction of where the pan of food was sitting. So, I got up, pushed my chair in, and poured my vegetables into the pan, earning a glower from Mom. I plopped a piece of beef into my mouth before running upstairs to my bedroom. I also pretended not to hear my mother's exasperated sigh.

My parents took turns kissing my forehead and murmuring soft "goodnights" to me, and turned off my bedroom light. As soon as I heard the confirming shut of my parents' bedroom door, I slipped into the dark. Of course, I knew eavesdropping was a bad thing; I had been caught before and been lectured, but how could I resist when I knew they'd be talking about me? About my differences from other kids? About my small improvement on my social behavior?

Pressing an ear against the cold surface of the door, I heard soft murmurs, barely being about to make them out.

"Igneel, I just don't know what to do with him anymore! What if he grows up and barely speaks a word to anyone? How will he make his way through life if he doesn't show any manners?"

"Darling, give him time, he just doesn't understand things, is all. He'll be a fine boy when he grows up. Don't you have faith in him?"  
>"Of course I have faith in him it's just-I'm just worried for him!"<p>

"I know, I know, we all are. We just have to be patient with him and make sure he understands everything."

Their conversation ended with a shaky breath from Mom, and I slunk back into my bed silently. I lay there, staring blankly at a dragon plush at the foot of my bed. Didn't understand? Did they think I didn't understand how to carry on a conversation? Did they think I didn't know about how to properly interact with other people? Why didn't my own parents understand me? Why couldn't they accept the fact that I just _didn't want to talk_?

The world can be a cruel place sometimes, I guess.

* * *

><p><strong>How do you like the first chapter? I have the whole story planned out so woo! And I can't <em>wait <em>to write more chapter to this story! Hope you enjoyed it~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Being thought to be antisocial and mentally ill by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you actually talk to isn't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?**

**Woo! Chapter 2~ Thanks for the reviews! This chapter's a little longer so yay! Please enjoy the newest chapter of Don't You Remember?**

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima people**

* * *

><p>Don't You Remember?<p>

Chapter 2

I sat outside in the tulip bed, twirling one of the delicate flowers around my index finger. I failed to notice the girl standing before me, smiling down at my antics. I ripped my gaze from the pink flower, and stood up, dusting myself off. She tucked a strand of golden hair behind her pierced ear, and she pulled down the hem of her dress. But my eyes were fast, and I managed to steal a glance at her bruised and scraped knees before they disappeared behind the baby blue fabric.

I frowned at her wound, and she eyed my scowl curiously. "Lucy, what happened?" I asked almost sternly and had to force myself to not blurt out an apology. She rubbed the fabric of her dress, her eyes avoiding to look up at me at all costs. "Lucy," I warned, and she further lowered her gaze. "I-It was nothing. I just fell and scraped my knees," she replied quietly, but I knew her too well.

"You shouldn't lie," I said.

"I know," she answered. She slid her tongue across her plump lips before starting. "People at school are picking on me again, and today when I was at recess, they pushed me down. I don't know why!" Her voice quivered as she finished, and I watched apologetically as tears peeked from the corners of her eyes, and she hastily rubbed them away, as if abandoning them to show.

I would've hugged her, cradled her softly in my arms and murmured her comforting things-if only I could. But, being though to be mentally ill by your own parents means no public school. No friends. But, wasn't I dubbed antisocial? Doesn't that mean that I _should _go out and make friends? Oh, I almost forgot that Mom doesn't want me to be made fun of. That she feels other kids won't accept me.

As I watched as Lucy still fought her tears, I stalked over to another flowerbed, and carefully pulled out three pink snapdragons. I handed her the fresh flowers, and she looked up at me, her doe brown eyes big and watery. A shaky smile found its way across her lips, and she took the flowers gently, as if a single touch would send them falling to pieces. She soon left with a quiet goodbye, so I walked slowly towards the back door.

"Natsu, why don't you have a cookie? They're fresh from the oven, dear." Mom handed me a plate of the small desserts, and I gratefully took a few, nibbling on one as she untied her apron, folding it neatly and setting it down on the counter beside the sink. Leaning on the counter, her curly blue hair spilled out across the counter, and she pushed her bangs from her vision commandingly.

"Why won't you ever talk?" She pleaded, and I wasn't sure whether to burst out into a fit of laughter, or to be disappointed about my mother's words. Did she honestly give up? Just like that? Was she done on trying to figure out my behavior, she just wanted a straight answer? "You'll never get anywhere in life if you don't speak up, let alone _talk_! I want you to get far in life! But-but you just don't talk? Do you?" She implored, a gleam of sadness and worry shining brightly in her eyes. "I just don't to," I said honestly, she seemed to brighten at my words. Or was it just the sound of my voice that she longed to hear? Did she just want to hear me actually finish a sentence? Did my actual _words_ even count? I gave her an emotionless stare, and she seemed to shake in her boots under my gaze.

"Please tell me you have friends. At least one," she whispered, seemingly ashamed of her desire.

"I do have a friend," I countered bravely, and Mom looked at me with wide sapphire eyes.

"Her name is Lucy," and all the hope that had filled to the brim in her eyes immediately shattered. Her eyebrows lowered, and a sad frown was painted by an imaginary artist onto her lips. "Oh, her," was all my mother uttered before grabbing her decorative apron again, and rashly tying it back on. I took it upon myself to head back to my room, but Mom's soft voice called out after me, stopping me in my tracks.

"You're seven years old; shouldn't you be getting a little tired of your imaginary friends?" She inquired sensitively, but I merely replied with another one of my empty gazes. She faced the counter again, so I quietly headed up the stairs to one of the only places I could feel safe.

The next day was a Saturday, which meant no school for both Lucy and me. Yet fortunately, that didn't stop her from coming. Over the weekends she would come over at noon, bringing us oranges she picked with her mother. I rolled out of bed and dressed myself in a red tee and an old pair of shorts. As I headed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and attempt to tame my unruly hair, I stopped at the sound of my father's voice, which was apparently directed at me.

"Going somewhere?" he asked calmly, and I responded with a curt nod. "Back," I said, but he didn't seem to understand. No one ever really understood my short sentences and brief gestures.

"I'm going in the backyard," I explained quickly, and he nodded his head in mock understanding. I knew he didn't understand why, but he pretended for my sake. Even though, naturally, it didn't make me feel better. Why was I actually getting dressed and _brushing my teeth _to go into the backyard? My parents didn't think I actually understand that I had a real friend. Heck, I don't even know where they thought of me having an imaginary friend. I've never had one. Too much work, that's what I think. If I don't want to waste my breath on my parents, what makes them think that I would even spend a second of time talking to someone or something that wasn't there?

I spat the minty residue of toothpaste into the sink, and washed it down the drain with the flick of my wrist. I raked the red brush through my thick _salmon _hair, but I soon gave up because, what was the point of repeatedly tugging a brush through your hair if all it did was get caught and cause more tangles?

I opened the stained glass door, and the bright sun invaded my vision. Throwing my arm over my eyes, I made my way to the tulip bed, and found Lucy sitting there, a large smile decorated her shapely face, and I grinned genuinely as I sat down, ignoring my mother's previous complaints.

"I brought some really good oranges today!" the blonde chirped, and she handed me a plump orange. I cradled it in my hand for a moment, feeling its bumpy texture on my fingers. Lucy pulled an orange-peeler from her large overall pocket, and handed it to me.

"How's your day been, Luce?"  
>"Good! Mama helped me pick the best oranges! Oh! Oh! And Erza really wants to meet you, and I can tell Gray does too, but he won't ever admit that," Lucy laughed, and I returned the peeler to her, popping an orange slice into my mouth.<p>

"I wanna meet them too," I replied glumly between chewing. She smiled at my words. "I'll get them to meet you, Natsu," she said and reached for my hand through the fence. "Thank you, Lucy," I said quietly and smiled.

Lucy scratched at her knee, and I smiled at the Band-Aids carefully placed over the scrapes. I licked my hands, ridding them of the sticky juice, and I caught her cringing in sheer disgust. "Ew, Natsu! Don't just lick your hands, that's unsanitary!" My golden girl scolded, and I just grinned sheepishly, wiping my hands on my jeans.

"Well," Lucy began, standing up and wiping her denim dress down. "I'd better get going. I hope you liked the orange!" She said, and I stood up, rising an approximate inch above her. "Oh, Luce, I almost forgot! What grade did you say you were in?" I asked, and a bubbly laugh emitted from her throat. "Second, and you'd either be in the same grade as me, or you'd be in third." She clarified.

"I wanna be in the same grade as you," I pouted, and she laughed again, and I soon joined the chorus, our laughter blending and making a harmonious sound.

I waved as she walked away, slowly disappearing behind the hill. When I got inside, I walked quietly to the living room, and sat down on the chair closest to the window. Mom was sitting on the sofa, feet tucked next to her as she focused on reading her book. My eyes grazed across our large front lawn, and flew to a bird hopping joyously on a low branch of a tree. The tree's vibrant green leaves seemed to shimmer in the noon sun, and I watched a red-haired girl walk down the road with a tall blue-haired boy. Didn't Lucy say Erza had red hair? The kind of red you see in commercials and ads so that they would grab your unwanted attention? That's what seemed to happen, but I wanted something like this to happen. I rushed to get my shoes on, and sprinted out the front door, my mother's voice was unheard over the sound of my adrenaline rushing through my veins like a river. A hand clamped down on my shoulder and I was tugged roughly back into the house.

The only thing I could think of was: why?

* * *

><p><strong>Please review and favorite and stuff~<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Being thought to be antisocial and mentally ill by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you actually talk to isn't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?**

**I'm on fall break for 2 weeks! Yay! Okay, well there's a bad word in this chapter. Sorry if you don't like bad language but, I kinda had to. Warning: may contain 2 precious children getting scolded by their parents. Your welcome.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Fairy Tail all my ships would already be canon. That's how you know that Fairy Tail rightfully belongs to Hiro Mashima**

* * *

><p>Don't You Remember?<p>

Chapter 3

Mom towered over my quivering form, and it was a rare moment when I was genuinely afraid of her. She turned away from me for a brief second, but only to slam the door that had been left unattended. Her normally warm gaze was now poisoned with a cold, hard, glare.

"Why were you going outside?" The woman before me demanded. This wasn't the mother I was accustomed to; this was an entirely new _terrifying _mother. Did I do something wrong? Is me going outside _really that bad_? I didn't answer, my jaw bolted shut with fear. Her eyes flashed around the room, as if checking that there was no one in sight. I felt my blood run cold as her glower dug deep into my skin again. "Why were you going outside, _Natsu_?" She snapped again.

"I don't know," I managed to peep out.

"Dammit Natsu speak up! Muttering won't get you anywhere in life! You have to make yourself be heard!" She spat, and I sat there, astonished. Never, in my short seven years of living had I ever heard my mom curse. And most importantly, curse at _me_. She'd never even raised her voice in a scolding tone at me before. She combed a shaking hand through her cerulean hair and sighed, her sapphire orbs seemingly averting my charcoal gaze. Just as she turned her head to face me again, I stood up quickly and, before I could stop myself, my mouth formed the question that clung to my tongue.

"Why didn't you let me go outside!?" I shouted. _Shouted. _I had never _ever _shouted before. Not _once_. Well, there's a first time for everything, lots of new things today in particular. Mom stood there, unblinking, eyes glued on me.

"I," she started nervously, "I didn't want you to get hurt," she lied. I knew it was a lie. I knew why she didn't want me to go outside, because I was different. But, it's not like a stranger would see me across the street, and immediately know that I was antisocial. It's not like it was the plague. Why did my own _mother _treat me like I wasn't ready for the world? Why couldn't I go to a normal school? Plenty of antisocial kids go to public schools. Right? My thoughts soon ceased and I looked back up to my mother's face. And I retreated upstairs, and made sure to lock the door behind me.

* * *

><p>Everything was fine today, really. Mama's sickness wasn't getting much better, and her checkup today wasn't any better. The doctor said she'd have to start getting more rest. So, there I sat, curled up on the foot of Mama and Papa's big, comfy, bed, and I watched silently as her brows furrowed, her forehead now glazed with sweat. I slowly crawled over to her sleeping form, and lightly shook her left arm. I failed to notice my father enter the room. "Lucy! Get away! Your mother needs her sleep! Go into your room or something, just let her get her rest!" Papa scolded, and I shamefully slunk out of the room. Please Mama, get better soon. With you being sick like this, Papa's been acting strange lately.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the sucky chapter : I kinda have writers block but this chapter came out alright. Meh. Please review! Your reviews make me the happiest girl in the world!~**


	4. Chapter 4

**Being thought to be mentally ill and antisocial by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you really talk to ins't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?**

**I've finally finished this chapter! I really liked the way this chapter turned out, and I hope you do too! **

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters**

* * *

><p>Don't You Remember?<p>

Chapter 4

Days trudged by, but I still hadn't forgotten about what Mom did. I just wanted to go outside, and could she read my mind? That I thought I knew the girl walking past out house? I wanted answers to my never-ending questions, but I wouldn't talk. Too much time, too much effort. I would only spend my words on Lucy, because she didn't cause me trouble or grief. She really listened, with her heart and soul, and I loved that about her. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table for the millionth time today, and it was finally 2:30. I rushed downstairs, ignoring my mother's questioning gaze, and pounced out into the afternoon sun. I sat down in the tulip bed beside the fence, and waited for my golden girl. And waited. The sun was inching lower in the fading blue sky, but I continued to wait. Only when Mom called me inside for dinner did I get up. The same question rang in my ears as I ate, watched TV, got ready for bed, and tossed and turned on my mattress.

_Why didn't Lucy come today?_

A week. It had been a full week before I finally saw Lucy again. I watched in excitement as a blonde head of hair trudged up the hill.

"Lucy! Lucy!" I shouted to her, and she looked up from the ground, an empty haze in her chocolaty brown eyes. She walked over to the fence, and sat down on the dirt.

"Is something wrong? Why haven't you been walking this way?" I rushed out; eager for the answers I'd been waiting to hear for days.

"She," Lucy started, her voice hoarse, and it was strange to me, Lucy's voice was always so sweet and filled with life; but now it sounded like nothing but sadness and disappointment.

"She died," she choked out, her small frame starting to shake. "She died and I didn't even get to say goodbye!" Lucy sobbed, but I did nothing. I froze in shock, looking at the small girl before me shake with the vibrations of her loud sobs. I soon took action; grabbing her face through the metal poles that served as the fence, and turned her head up to look at me straight in the eyes.

"Who died," I asked firmly, and her bottom lip quivered again.

"Mama! Mama's gone and-and-" she cried again, and I drew into the best hug I could manage through the fence. Her head held against my chest she continued to cry, tugging on my T-shirt, staining it with her genuine tears. We sat like that for a long time, I don't even know how long, before she stopped.

"You okay now?" I whispered to her, and I felt her nod against my soaked shirt, pulling away and grabbing her things.

"T-Thank you, Natsu…" Lucy whispered softly, and walked off down the hill towards her house.

"Natsu! Natsu! Can you make me cereal?" A small voice called from downstairs, and I groaned, scrubbing the grogginess of sleep from my eyes. Swinging my feet over the edge of my bed, I stumbled downstairs, I yawn escaping my mouth as I did so. When I got into the kitchen, the voice sat patiently at the round kitchen table, a jug of milk and a box of Cheerio's resting just as patiently on the wooden surface. I looked at my sister with still-tired eyes before grabbing bowls and spoons from their homes, and serving the two of us breakfast.

"Natsu," Wendy started in her squeaky five-year-old voice, "I noticed that you always go outside at the same time. But what do you because I never see you because the tree hides you," she stumbled across her words, still not able to form properly structured sentences.

"Nothing, Wen," I brushed her off, and gulped another spoonful of cereal. It had been six years since Lucy's mom died, and her life didn't get much better. She was abused by her father, bullied at school, and treated horribly by nearly everyone else. She came over at night, and we'd talk for hours, me comforting her, and her explaining the misfits of her life. My life was okay, I still didn't talk much, but luckily Wendy liked to. Ever since she could talk, she loved doing it. She's polite and well mannered, much more than all the other brats I see out in public.

Around noon, I went into the backyard, sitting down in my regular spot. Mom took out the tulips years ago; they were too much work, she proclaimed, so we stretched out the lawn to envelop the whole yard. Not long after, Lucy showed up, a new bruise under her left eye, new scrapes on her knees and shins. She smiled weakly, pain glistening in her eyes for a brief moment and she sat down on the dirt. The grass died long ago.

"Careful, idiot," Lucy hissed as I pressed the ice pack harder onto her cheek.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"So how's you day been?" She asked in her now regularly pained voice. It was low and a bit scratchy, and it saddened me that I never heard her bubbly laughs anymore; they were replaced with fake, and sometimes sarcastic ones. I never saw her innocent doe-brown eyes anymore; they were stained with dull ones, the color of dirt and dust. And most of all, I never saw her genuine, positive, sweet, breath-taking smile anymore. It had been taken over by dry lips, and lying twists of her mouth. She was such a different girl, I barely recognized her, but I continued to help her. Because I knew that somewhere deep underneath that mask of lies and unsurfacing care, was Lucy; my Golden Girl.

* * *

><p><strong>Please give a lovely review!~<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Being thought to be mentally ill and antisocial by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you really talk to isn't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?**

**Ugh I'm not really proud of how this turned out but eh. Sorry humans.I hope you enjoy the newest chapter of Don't You Remember I guess**

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its characters**

* * *

><p>Don't You Remember?<p>

Chapter 5

I heard the car pull into the driveway, two door slams following soon after. Mom called me, so I came downstairs. What else was I supposed to do? I was bored out of my mind.

"Natsu, Wendy, we have a surprise for you!" Mom chirped in that sweet voice she chose to use when she wanted to. She opened the box she had set down on the table, and a small meow floated out into the space of the kitchen.

"This one's a boy," Mom pointed to a Russian Blue kitten, its fur a strange greyish-blue color, "and this one's a girl," she said, removing a dainty looking white Ragdoll. I picked out the Russian Blue, cradling him in my arms, which resulted in the small kitten rolling over, dark eyes looking up at me innocently. I stroked his small head, and he purred at the motion.

Wendy took the Ragdoll from Mom and held her carefully. She rubbed her small white head against Wendy's arm affectionately, purring softly.

"C'mon! You can put them down in the living room, and you two can give them some lovely names. Wendy and I followed Mom into the living space, and I took my normal spot, curling up by the window with the small feline nestled in my arms.

"I'm gonna name her Carla!" Wendy chirped, and ran her hand across the kitten's back. Carla meowed softly. "See! She likes that name!" Mom chuckled lovingly as she watched Wendy play with her new pet before switching her attention to me.

"What are you going to name your cat, Natsu? He looks like a nice one," she said, and I looked thoughtfully down at the Russian Blue.

"Happy," I declared quietly.

"Well I'm glad you're happy, those cats weren't the _cheapest_,"

"No, his name's happy," I retorted. Did she think I was stupid? I use short sentences but I don't just say one word to express my emotions like some sort of early homosapien. I looked back at Mom, her expression seemingly confused.

"You're very creative Natsu, I'm sure you can think of a better name than-"

"Wendy got to name her cat after a human name, why can't I name my cat after an emotion?" I asked, and she gave me a slightly frustrated look, one that also screamed "not-in-front-of-your-sister" and "she's-younger-than you-she-can-do-what-she-wants."

"Well, Mom started, clearing her throat, "there are supplies in the box on the counter, and they're your responsibilities. Take care of them," my mother's voice hissed out in a hinted warning. I got up, unknowingly scooping up Happy with me, and walked back into the kitchen and opened the cardboard box. It held food, toys, two beds, four bowls, and other cat necessities. I removed a green collar from the box, clipping the accessory around Happy's neck gently.

What would the news about Lucy be today?


	6. Chapter 6

**Being thought to be mentally ill and antisocial by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you really talk to isn't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?**

**I haven't updated in a while! Sorry! I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out so I hope you like it too! **

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and its gorgeous characters, not me**

* * *

><p>Don't You Remember?<p>

Chapter 5

I slipped out of bed silently, my feet meeting the cold wood of my bedroom floor. I snuck down the hall, down the stairs, and out the back door without a sound. I walked through the grass, and sat down in the spot where the tulip bed used to lay. The single tree in our yard hid me from the house, and so I sat there, waiting by the fence for my Golden Girl. Or, that's what she used to be. The silver moon hung lazily in the sky, illuminating a small amount of glossy light onto the midnight scenery. I soon saw her making her way over to me, quiet as a mouse.

"Hey," she murmured in her raspy voice that I had grown accustomed to. But that didn't mean I liked it.

"Hey." A single word for a response. "Has he…?" I trailed off; she knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Yeah…"

"Lemme see," I demanded, yet still managed to keep my voice barely above a whisper. Lucy turned around, and removed the back of her shirt just enough for me to see the harsh marks his whippings had left.

"What does he," my voice faltered for a moment; would she be alright answering this? Would I strike a nerve? Despite my hesitation I still proceeded with the question that stung my tongue with guilt and unfaltering curiosity. "What does he-hit you-with?" I asked gingerly.

"Anything he can find. Most of the time it's a belt, though," Lucy replied, and a pang of sadness hit me painfully. She'd answered it with no emotion at all. I noticed that over the years she became less and less expressive. No one could see what she was thinking; what she thought of things. I gave her a look of honest sadness when she pulled her shirt back down and stirred in the dirt.

"Do you want ice for it?" I asked quietly, but she shook her head in dismissal much to my disappointment. I didn't say anything though; I just watched as she played with a Band-Aid on her knee.  
>"Well, I guess I'll go," the emotionless girl uttered. I stood up with her; over the years I'd grown a few inches taller than her.<p>

Before she could go I took her by the arm so that she could face me.

"Lucy," I countered, my voice coming out almost intimidatingly low. The girl in my grasp looked back at me, her empty eyes reaching mine, stretched out with what I deemed as fear.

"Remember you can tell me anything," I finished, and for a fraction of a second I thought I caught a glimpse of my old Lucy; the kind one. The honest one. And I thought I saw those eyes that I missed more than anything in the world. For that split second I saw her breathtaking doe brown eyes that glistened with every ounce of care. But that moment was short-lived, and her eyes quickly returned to her dull ones, filled with emptiness and tragedy and loss. She pulled out of my now loosened grip and didn't even spare me a glance as she muttered a small "I know," under her breath. And with that she walked away, leaving the darkness to swallow her whole.

I lie awake in bed that night. Lucy and I talked a bit longer yesterday after school, and it helped me get my mind off of the other night. Everyone had just gone to bed, and my keen ears managed to pick up quiet murmurs emitting from my parents' bedroom.

I hadn't eavesdropped in a while, but as soon as my warm feet contrasted with the icy coldness of the floorboards I knew I'd do fine. Sneaking out of my bedroom I peaked down the hall, assuring that Wendy was snug in her sky-themed bed. A sense of familiarity washed over me as I leaned against the white door, and listened to the secrets my parents discussed "privately."

"I don't think he likes it here anyway." My mother's voice.

"Yeah, everything'll turn out great, they'll love the new neighborhood!" New neighborhood? We weren't _moving _were we? I gulped at the thought. No Lucy.

"Oh! I'm so excited! We'll get to start fresh! Brand new! And we'll enroll Natsu into the public school there, right?" I heard my father's hushed chuckle.

"Yes, he'll be going to the school there," he said, but by the time he finished I had already backed away from the door, horrified with the news. I bolted back into my dark room and shimmied the door shut quietly as possible. I practically threw myself onto the bed, already starting to feel the heat of plump tears that threatened to escape. After what seemed like hours, I felt the last drop of energy leave me, and I drifted off to a troubling sleep.

In my dreams I searched helplessly for my Golden Girl. But she was nowhere to be found.

* * *

><p><strong>Like it? Please leave a review and favorite! Your feedback helps a lot! Thanks~<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Being thought to be mentally ill and antisocial by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you really talk to isn't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?**

**Hey! Omg I haven't updated this story in forever so sorry! But I _finally _got around to writing this chapter and I'm pretty confident with how it turned out! Thanks so much for reading this story, and please enjoy the newest chapter of Don't You Remember?**

**Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima created the wonderful idea of Fairy Tail and its characters! Not me!~**

* * *

><p>Don't You Remember?<p>

Chapter 7

Mom had officially announced the "big news," despite me already knowing. Not that anyone knew that, however. We'd be moving approximately a month from now, but I didn't want to. Why would I? I'd have to _leave Lucy._ Leave her all alone. She had her other friends at school, but only a few. What would my life be without her? I'd never imagined a life without my Golden Girl. Not that I'd ever want to do that. We still talked regularly, but the two of us always seemed to avoid the important topics. We'd run around them, dodging them like they were flaming objects headed straight for us. We conversed about pointless things; who invented pens, what the tips of shoelaces are called, and why the world is round. And I avoided bringing up the subject of me moving.

It's been almost a month. We're moving tomorrow. But yet, I still haven't told Lucy. It wasn't until moving day that she found out, and I regretted every move of mine that led to another box in the truck. How would she react? Would she be mad? Would she mad at me? No, there wouldn't be a point in being mad at someone that practically didn't exist anymore, right? I sighed as I heaved another box into the truck. I said nothing the entire drive, even when Mom offered a bag of chips, or asked why I was being so quiet, I kept my mouth sealed. I somberly made my way up the new steps of the new house. We walked in, soon greeted by the empty feel of the house that had yet to be furnished.

"Welcome home!" Dad boomed, and I nearly flinched at the loud volume of his voice, and by the way it echoed throughout the entire building.

"Well, guess we'd better start moving in the furniture?" Mom asked, and Dad nodded in a silent agreement.

"Mommy! Can me and Natsu pick out our rooms?" Wendy asked in her chipper voice, and it was soon followed by a positive shout. My younger sister looked up at me with big brown eyes, excitement gleaming through them, as if they would burst at any moment.

"C'mon Natsu! Mommy said we could pick our rooms!" she chirped to me, and I followed her up the stairs with a smile. After a small amount of fussing, we finally decided which rooms we wanted. I claimed the room farthest from the stairs, and Wendy's was right next to mine.

"Natsu! Wendy! Come down to the car, we're going out to eat tonight!" Mom's cheerful voice floated up to us in a light tone, and we were soon climbing into the red car we had grown so accustomed to.

* * *

><p>I walked up my regular path, and I was confident to ask Natsu. Nothing could stand in my way, we'd been friends since second grade, he had to accept! I made my way up the hill, and stopped at the fence I stared through every day. But I didn't all the way there-I didn't sit down. I wasn't greeted with a toothy grin, or half a brownie, or even a hello. There was nothing in the backyard my best friend always greeted me in. The lawn chairs pushed against the sun-bleached, light blue paneling were gone. The lights that lined the abandoned flowerbeds had been removed. The lantern Natsu had hung up for me, and added an extra star sticker to for every birthday of mine, was gone, like a whisper in the wind. My heart thudded against my chest, and fear took over my actions, my thoughts, my movements, and I soon found myself at the front door of my best friend's house, rapping my bandaged knuckles violently against the freshly-painted white door. No response.<p>

"Excuse me, miss?" An elderly voice grabbed my attention kindly, and I turned around to face the vessel of the voice. "Are you trying to see if that family's home?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am."  
>"I saw a moving truck leave this house about an hour ago, I'm very sorry, dear," the woman's kind eyes showed every ounce of care and honest sympathy, and my heart clenched at the thought of someone, other than Natsu, caring so deeply about my well-being. Or maybe she was just a really good actress, and this was all to be polite. But wait-a moving truck. Natsu never told me anything about him <em>moving<em>. Natsu? _Moving_? How far away was he? He didn't have a phone, so we couldn't communicate easily. He didn't have any type of social network account, so that choice was out the window too.

Right when I want to ask you such an important question I've been holding back since _forever_, you leave me?

* * *

><p><strong>In case you didn't catch on, yes the last part was in Lucy's P.O.V. Hope you liked the new chapter, and please give me some feedback! It really makes my day to read your lovely reviews! So please, don't be shy! Spam the button if you have to! Stay tuned for chapter 8 of Don't You Remember?, and chapter 15 of Compliments! Have a nice day, and thanks for reading!<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**Being thought to be mentally ill and antisocial by your own parents isn't easy. Even if it is partly true. Being separated from the only person you really talk to isn't easy either. How long will it take for the flame to rejoin its star?**

**Finally updating this! And, before you start reading, I want you to know that I deeply apologize if the ending seemed rushed. I wanted to add a chapter in between the chapter and last chapter, but honestly I couldn't think of anything ;-; But yeah, please enjoy the _final _chapter of Don't You Remember? **

**Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima, not me.**

* * *

><p>Don't You Remember?<p>

Chapter 7

I still remembered her. I held onto the faint memory of the golden halo of hair, and the soft, warm brown eyes. I remembered her love of stars and astrology, how she could name each and every constellation despite her young age. How understanding she was. After her mother's death, and her father's cruelty, she hid herself from everyone and everything behind a mask of sarcastic remarks, false smiles, and dimmed eyes. I sometimes had trouble recognizing her, and would think to myself, _is this really my Lucy?_ But then I would tell myself that she had gone through so much. My troubles were nothing compared to hers.

I strolled down the path I walked every day, with the exception of weekends. I had just gotten off of work; a car repair garage. My tattered Converse hit the wooden planks of the boardwalk softly, and I almost enjoyed the soft sound. I was almost upon the apartment I shared with a bastard, Gray Fullbuster, when I heard the telltale giggling of a couple.

"No! I didn't sound like that!" the girl shrieked, and I nearly cringed by the sound of her voice. It sounded all too fake and all too…

_Familiar._

It couldn't be. Or, that was what I thought until I glanced to my left, just as the couple walked by, the girl practically clinging onto the ginger's arm. Blonde hair. It wasn't Lucy; it couldn't have been. What were the chances of me seeing her again? I knew it wasn't her, yet I couldn't stop the name that slipped from my tongue and emitted into the evening air as a shout. The couple stopped, and she looked back in my direction, her eyes snapping onto my form. I felt the need to steady myself against the building next to me when I saw her eyes. They weren't clouded with an almost tear-proof barrier. They were the same orbs that cared and felt; that held the very stars she loved so dearly in their glassy prison. I expected to see a flash of recognition in those eyes, however.

"How do you know my name?" She inquired in that sweet voice I faintly recalled.

"I-I-Lucy, it's me! I-it's me! Natsu! Don't you remember?" I nearly pleaded, but she just looked at me with owlish chocolate eyes.

"I-I'm sorry…I don't know who you are…" she confessed in a soft voice. Thoughts hammered through my head, but I acted before I realized.

"Sorry, it's fine," I said with a smile, and continued down the path towards my apartment. Gray would be expecting me.

I lie awake in bed that night, thinking about that man. Something about him seemed a bit familiar, but wouldn't anyone remember pink hair like that? I stayed like that for a while. I didn't have Loke with me. He was "working," even though I knew that was a lie. I didn't want his arms around me, anyway. I merely stayed with him to keep us both entertained. He had to have a pretty girl on his arm and I just wanted the company. My eyes shifted towards the open window, and I stuck my hand out, the cold sea wind biting at my skin. Everything seemed so dim at this time in life. I was twenty-three years old, yet my life felt all too long. Mama always said I was an old soul. I let my mind swim through my childhood, and I somehow remembered. I don't have the slightest clue how I forgot, but when I tried to block the harsh times from my mind, it devoured everything else from my childhood with it like a greedy animal. The walks home, the desserts, the tulips and snapdragons, it all came flooding back like an open gate. And with those memories came him. The untamed pink hair, the charcoal eyes that held so much sadness and bottled emotions. I climbed out of bed, and threw on my clothes. I barely locked the door behind me as I sprinted down the hall of the inn I was staying at, and I soon found myself at the place I saw him. I don't know how I remembered the precise location of our meeting, or why I came here first, but I found nothing there.

After about half an hour of searching, I gave up. I ended up walking solemnly to the dock that I knew wasn't too far from where I currently was.

It wasn't until I felt the warmth from her body until I noticed she was there. I turned my head, and she blinked down at the water's surface.

"Hey," I started, and she jumped before connecting her gaze with mine.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried before jumping on me, and I was barely able to grab onto a plank to save both of us from falling into the harshly cold water. I held her back with a hand I barely noticed had moved there, and rested my chin on top of her blonde head.

"So you remembered be, huh?"

"How could I have forgotten you? I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" The girl in my embrace sobbed into my shirt, drenching it with her tears, but I just smiled and held her, rocking us gently on the dock.

"Don't be sorry, Lucy." I murmured into her hair.

"Then don't ever leave me again, Natsu."  
>"Never, Lucy." I replied softly, and pulled back just enough to see her face. That perfect face of hers that had endured every emotion possible. I tilted her face skywards, and planted a soft kiss on her plump lips. A movement I'd wanted to perform for years.<p>

"I'll never leave you. Never again."

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you so much for reading! And a special thanks to all of you who reviewed on this story! I really loved and appreciated your amazing reviews because they really helped me and it made me so happy to see people liked my writing. It makes me a little sad to know that I'm ending this story but I have others, of course! If you haven't already, please check out my other fanfictions, and enjoy the rest of your day! I love you all!<strong>


End file.
